Happy 130th birthday, Eiffel Tower: Laser show for Iron Lady

PARIS — Paris wished the Eiffel Tower a happy birthday Wednesday with an elaborate nighttime laser show retracing the monument's 130-year history.

A picture taken on May 15, 2019 shows the Eiffel Tower during a light show celebrating the 130th anniversary of its construction, in Paris. - Built for the 1889 World's Fair, towering at 324 meters and weighing 7300 tons, the Eiffel Tower attracts ne



Earlier in the day, the monument invited 1,300 children to a giant "snack time" beneath the tower known as the Iron Lady.

After nightfall, a 12-minute laser display began flashing across the facade in shows that will run through Friday night. Professional climbers scaled the monument to mount the lights for the unprecedented show.

A picture taken on May 15, 2019 shows the inscription "130 years" displayed on the Eiffel Tower during a light show celebrating the 130th anniversary of its construction, in Paris. - Built for the 1889 World's Fair, towering at 324 meters and weighin



Around 6 million people go up the tower every year, in addition to the crowds who just come to look at Gustave Eiffel's creation, designed for the 1889 World's Fair. It was the world's tallest monument at the time, and thanks to strict urban planning rules, it still looms large above the Paris skyline.

The Eiffel Tower opened to the public for the first time on May 15, 1889, several days after its inauguration at the World's Fair.

A picture taken on May 15, 2019 shows the Eiffel Tower during a light show celebrating the 130th anniversary of its construction, in Paris. - Built for the 1889 World's Fair, towering at 324 meters and weighing 7300 tons, the Eiffel Tower attracts ne